Reading PDA serial number or ID

[Guest]

Assuming such a thing exists, I'm looking for a way - ideally a Framework
function - that would read the serial number or machine ID or system GUID or
some unique identifier of the a PDA (Pocket PC or other PDA with the Compact
Fraamework) connected to the desktop. Since "Windows" is installed on and
hard wired into the PDA, I'd assume, too, that that is a pretty constant
thing; it isn't like you can reinstall Windiows on the PDA as you can on a
desktop PC.

When the PDA is docked I'd like to be able to have code that's running on
the desktop talk with the PDA and read this ID, the purpose being to
determine if it is an "approved" machine. I'd prefer not having to load a
"key" or file onto the PDA; those can be moved.

 

[eric]

Don't know if this will help you but you can use the following to get the
device name.

Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey("Ident").GetValue("Name","Unknown").ToString();

 

[Guest]

I will look into that; thanks for the tip.

What I need has to be different for each PDA. If I have, say, 20 PDAs, I
want 20 different/unique IDs, even if they are all the same make and model
hardaware running the same version of the compact Framework and version of
Pocket PC or Windows Mobile or whatever it is called.

 

[Mike]

Assuming such a thing exists, I'm looking for a way - ideally a Framework
function - that would read the serial number or machine ID or system GUID or
some unique identifier of the a PDA (Pocket PC or other PDA with the Compact
Fraamework) connected to the desktop. Since "Windows" is installed on and
hard wired into the PDA, I'd assume, too, that that is a pretty constant
thing; it isn't like you can reinstall Windiows on the PDA as you can on a
desktop PC.

When the PDA is docked I'd like to be able to have code that's running on
the desktop talk with the PDA and read this ID, the purpose being to
determine if it is an "approved" machine. I'd prefer not having to load a
"key" or file onto the PDA; those can be moved.

I have found success using the KernelIOControl function pinvoked from
coredll.
I havn't found any devices that this function does not work on.
However, the official word is that it is up to PDA mfgs as to whether
they want to implement this function or not, and exactly what the
returned value will look like.

Mike
JMT Systems

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I'll pass your comment on to someone here who really understands
this stuff!